Mumbai City rope in Tunisian midfielder Mohamed Larbi

Mumbai City FC have completed a deal to bring Tunisian midfielder Mohamed Larbi to the club for the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 season. The 32-year-old plied his trade for Tunisian side Esperance Tunis last season, helping them win the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1.

Larbi is a product of French side FC Nantes' youth academy, where he temporarily played with French international Dimitri Payet. In 2006, he returned to Tunisia to sign for ES Sahel. Incidentally Amine Chermtiti - another Tunisian Mumbai City signed for the upcoming Hero ISL season - was Larbi's teammate during his one-year stint at Sahel. He later reunited with Chermtiti again in 2016 while playing for French side GFC Ajaccio.

The attacking midfielder then went on to represent several clubs in France in the next decade and played for teams like Ajaccio, FC Sochaux and others. He also played for Turkish side Samsunspor during the period.

On the international level, Larbi has four caps for the Tunisian national team. This will be Larbi's first venture in Asia and the Tunisian will hope to strike up a good partnership with his countryman Chermtiti and the rest of the team and drive the Islanders to a good finish in the upcoming season.